Headwind+Tailwind, or constant crosswind?

[gbb]

I always found, generally a windy day or a hilly ride, taken as an average, it makes little difference to the overall speed or time it takes to complete.
Still day, I would achieve a certain time / speed over 50 miles.
Windy day, the time / speed wouldn't be that different. Slow against the wind, faster with a tailwind, it all averages out.
Flat ride against a hilly ride, same scenario.

Headwinds, especially strong ones are a mental challenge thats not too hard to overcome...just find a pace, however slow or fast that is, to allow you to progress without busting a gut, you find a pace that will let you deal with the wind for miles and miles...then reap the rewards homebound

 

[Alex321]

I always found, generally a windy day or a hilly ride, taken as an average, it makes little difference to the overall speed or time it takes to complete.
Still day, I would achieve a certain time / speed over 50 miles.
Windy day, the time / speed wouldn't be that different. Slow against the wind, faster with a tailwind, it all averages out.
Flat ride against a hilly ride, same scenario.

Headwinds, especially strong ones are a mental challenge thats not too hard to overcome...just find a pace, however slow or fast that is, to allow you to progress without busting a gut, you find a pace that will let you deal with the wind for miles and miles...then reap the rewards homebound

I've never found the benefit of a tailwind matches the disadvantage of a headwind, so a loop on a windy day will almost always be a bit slower than the same loop on a calm day.

 

[freiston]

As I recall, I've never planned a route to take into account wind direction. here in the north Warwickshire lanes, I don't really notice a particular wind direction but I do sometimes go onto the drops when it's blowing against me. As a youngster in the Lincolnshire Fens, I certainly noticed the wind and its direction but don't recall ever planning according to it. Couldn't go far east cos of the coast, most directions dictated by long straight roads with drains and few bridges over them.

 

[CXRAndy]

I've never found the benefit of a tailwind matches the disadvantage of a headwind, so a loop on a windy day will almost always be a bit slower than the same loop on a calm day.

This is correct, an equal loop in distance, with half the journey into a headwind will always be slower overall.

Time added battling a headwind, cannot be cancelled by the added speed riding home with a tailwind.

 

[gbb]

This is correct, an equal loop in distance, with half the journey into a headwind will always be slower overall.

Time added battling a headwind, cannot be cancelled by the added speed riding home with a tailwind.

We can only say as we find, but my experience was...about the same times either way. Certainly no glaring differences on a 50 mile loop between a windy or a still day.
There are many factors of course, i was always acutely aware of my average speed and while finding a pace that worked headwind, equally, i'd have one eye on my average, in other words, i always worked hard at it.

Flip side is the days, and we've all had them, you head out into a headwind.....only to find on the return leg....you still have a headwind

 

[roubaixtuesday]

It's possible to apply physics to this question.

Wind resistance force is proportional to the square of speed. This fundamental means that any wind will be result in a net harder ride (headwind saps you much more than a tailwind helps)

Energy expended is force x distance.

Instantaneous power is force x speed.

So, depending on how you ride, you can work out, in principle, whether head/ tail is worse than constant sidewinds. Eg if you use the same power, which scenario takes longer and uses more energy. It may be different depending on how strong the wind is.

I might have a go later.

 

[Mike_P]

Sure I read somewhere that until a wind is within a few degrees of behind totally behind you it will exhibit head or cross wind properties. Certainly the last time I nominally had a strong tail wind given the twists and turns of the road it rarely felt as if was not hindering me.

 

[Alex321]

It's possible to apply physics to this question.

Wind resistance force is proportional to the square of speed. This fundamental means that any wind will be result in a net harder ride (headwind saps you much more than a tailwind helps)

Energy expended is force x distance.

Instantaneous power is force x speed.

So, depending on how you ride, you can work out, in principle, whether head/ tail is worse than constant sidewinds. Eg if you use the same power, which scenario takes longer and uses more energy. It may be different depending on how strong the wind is.

I might have a go later.

It will also vary according to the speed you would ride that part of te route if it were calm.

E.g. a head wind will slow you less if you are on an uphill where you would already be going relatively slowly.

There are an awful lot of different factors to take into account.

 

[roubaixtuesday]

It will also vary according to the speed you would ride that part of te route if it were calm.

E.g. a head wind will slow you less if you are on an uphill where you would already be going relatively slowly.

There are an awful lot of different factors to take into account.

Yes indeed.

But it would be possible to do a calculation for specific scenarios eg
(1) if you keep the same power as you would with no wind, does a sidewind or head/tail slow you down more?
(2) if you keep the same speed as you would with no wind, do you use more or less energy with a side or head/tail combo?

Which might be informative.

 

[Daninplymouth]

I plan my routes the same as you, always check the wind direction and use that as to which way round I go on my regular loop. Has a good 10mile chunk as a busy NSL and the last thing I want to be doing is battling a strong wind and going too slow so I plan to get the push along the main road. Other than that il aim for a tail wind push home if possible. And if I can’t get that I just go flying on the way out trying to set Strava pb’s then just plan slow slog back home